Picture-frame.



H. A. SASS. PICTURE FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1916.

Patented July 3, 1917.

attozwcq D STATES PATENT ornron.

HENRY A. SASS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGIVOR TO .THE ULLMANMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

PICTURE-FRAME.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed June 7, 1916. Serial No. 102,208.

To all whom it may comzem:

Be it known that I, Ilnnny A. SAss, a

citizen of the United States, residing at it) useful improvements inpicture frames and. it pertains more particularly to the construc-' tionof the back.

I provide a new means or manner of scour ing the glass in the frame sothat it will not drop out in taking out and putting in the picture whichis to be framed.

I also provide a novel construction of pivoted clasps for holding inhinged back which is provide with a hinged support to form an easel.These clasps are made of flexible metal, and can, therefore, be adjustedand are pivotally mounted on the wood underneath the cardboard back andare designed to engage with the latter so as to hold the same snuglyagainst the wood frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appearand the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part ofthis specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a substantially centralvertical section from front to rear, as on the line 11 of Fig. 2,through a frame embodying my present improvement.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the frame with 40 portions broken away.

.Fi 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of a portion of the wooden frame showingone of the pivoted clasps thereon.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the differentviews.

Referring to the drawings,

1 designates a picture frame of wood or any other suitable materialwhich may be as ornamental in appearance as may be delace the sired andof any preferred sha e, these mattors not entering into the subJectmatter of my prcsentinvention.

To the back of the frame 11 and hinged thereto, as at 2, is a back 3 ofcardboard or any other suitable material, in the present instance beingshown as made of a base 4. of cardboard and a covering 5 upon eitherside thereof, which may be of paper, linen or any other suitablematerial, or, as is evident, this covering may be omitted. In thepresent instance the back 3 is hinged to a member 6 of cardboard securedto the back of the wood frame in any suitable manner, the

members 2, 3 and 6 being formed of one piece scored at 2 and 3, and inthe present instance this member 6 is shown as provided with a ring orthe like 7 by which the frame may be hung upon the wall when desired.'75

For the purpose of supporting a frame on a shelf, table or othersupport, after the manner of an easel, I provide a supporting member 8of cardboard or the like which may be covered with paper, fabric orother v or distended at an angle thereto, as seen in Fig. 1, to supportthe frame after the manner of an easel. 1

10 is a flexible ligament connecting the pivoted support 8 with the back3. the said ligament 10 being adapted to be folded between the members 8and 3 when the former is in its folded condition and when in itsdistended condition, as seen in Fig. 1, serv: ing to prevent unduemovement of the member 8 away from the member 3.

One of the improvements in the construction and make-up of this frame isthe special method of construction of the hinged parts of the backs ofthe frame and of the easel back. Heretoforc in the, manufacture ofarticles of this kind, the method used was to cut the cardboard Or othermaterial which. was intended to be bent backward and forward (namely, towork as a hinge does) into two pieces, and it was necessary to paste thetwo pieces of cardboard or other material together by the use ofapieceof muslin, leather or other flexible material. This manner ofconstruction, the same being done by hand, required considerable time tocarry out. In addition to this, the result was not as strong and durableand did not have the ornamental appearance which the frame as nowproduced be me, has. My method of construction is to emboss or score thecardboard or other material in-an embossing machine, designed for thepurpose. The embossing, or scoring, of this being done by machine, it isdone very rapidly compared with the old method, described above, ofpasting two pieces of cardboard together, etc.

This method of, constructing the hinges is employed in both parts,namely, the back and the separate easel back. The result is also a muchstronger, neater and a better frame and back.

Another point of improvement of this method of construction is the factthat in the old method of using two separatepieces of cardboard, itfrequently happens that the fibers of the cardboard of the two separatepieces run in different directions; that is to say, the grain of thecardboard does not always run the same, for the reason that the smallstrips were frequently cut from the long end of a piece of cardboard andthe fibers, therefore, of the two separate pieces contracted indifferent directions, causing a weakness and a tendency to warp on thepart of either the one or the other piece of cardboard.

The use of one piece of cardboard. serves to strengthen and keep flatthe cardboard backs. This method also produces a cleaner and neater andmore ornamental frame and is an important feature of the invention.

Inasmuch as there are two separate parts which are hinged, it will bereadily seen that considerable time is saved n the construction andmanufacture of these hlnged parts, as they are embossed in each case onthe piece of cardboard instead of using four pieces of cardboard andpasting them together for the back and easel back. The member 8 isconstructed, similarly to the back, of one piece, scored at 8' and 8".

In order to hold the back 3 is close relation to the back of the frame1, I provide flexible 0r bendable clasps 11, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5.Each clasp has an extension 12 through which passes a pin or the like 13which secures it to the frame 1 and permits it to move thereon as upon apivot,

so that it may be swung out into the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 5 and the back 3 placed against the frame 1 and then the clasp 11is moved on its pivot, so that its engaging member 14 will lie upon theoutside of the back, the latter being held be tween said member 14 andthe body portion of the clasp. By this means the clasp is secured to theframe 1 and is covered by the back 3 when the latter is in position,

.metal, as heretofore, the clasp can be bent backward or forward andthis ability to bend thefiange of the clasp aids to hold the cardboardback more snugly to the frame.

In order to permit of movement of the back upon its hinge to remove apicture or to insert one. in the frame, all that it is necessary to dois to move the clasps outward 1 upon their pivots until their engagingportions 14: are free of the back, when the latter can be turned up onits hinge.

Any suitable number of these clasps may be used upon each side of theframe. Ordinarily, one upon each side near the lower end will be foundsuflicient, but "more may be employed if found necessary.

'16 is the glass. It is placed in the frame in the usual manner and isthere secured by means of paper, fabric or the like which is securedagainst the glass, as at 17, by paste or any suitable means and thencebent at right angles and secured, as at 18,to the adjacent face of therabbet in the frame 1 and then secured, as at 19, along the rear face ofsaid frame 1. The glass is thus held securelyin place so that it willnot fall out and the paper or fabric does not show in front of thepicture 20 against which is the usual backing 21. This passepartoutingof the glass not only secures the latter against falling out, but makesa neat finish to the frame. The clasps 11 are pivotally secured to theback of the frame through this passepartouting material and when theback 3 is in position and secured. snugly against the back of the frame1 by the clasps 11, it pro vides a very neat, as well as dust-excludingconstruction of the back of the frame.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from'thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A picture frame, a back therefor, and a clasp pivoted to the framebetween the back and frame and having a portion adapted to embrace theedge of the back only, the

pivot of the clasp being concealed by the ack.

2. A picture frame, a back hingedly mounted thereon, and a clasppivotally mounted on the frame between the back and andQ-hold the samesnugly against the'frame, the

pivots of the ciasps being concealed by the back.

formed of a single piece of material scored 5 at two adjacent points,said back bein disconnected from the frame at both 0' said pointsconstituting a hinge.

5. A picture frame and a member at the back thereof formed of one singlepiece of 10 material scored at two different points to constitute ahinge, the same having one end 4. A picture frame and a back thereforvHENRY A. SASS.

Witnesses EDMUND G. PHILLIPS, LOUIS KOENIGSBERG.

